Crown
16 total works
Frederik Ix and Queen Ingrid
by Jens Gunni Busck and Christopher Sand-Iversen
Published 20 September 2018
Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid were the Danish royal couple from 1947 until 1972, when King Frederik died and was succeeded by his eldest daughter, Queen Margrethe II. In contrast to his predecessors, Frederik IX was seen as a man of the people, and thanks to the influence of Queen Ingrid he endowed his reign with kingly dignity. Together they modernized the Danish monarchy and came to symbolize an exemplary modern Danish nuclear family. They mastered the art of being both popular and royal in a time in which handling of the media became increasingly important for the monarchy.
Frederik III reigned from 1648 to 1670 and introduced absolute monarchy in Denmark-Norway. Absolute monarchy established itself in many places in Europe during the 17th century, and in Denmark-Norway it was established unusually quickly and firmly as a result of a military defeat by Sweden that cost the realm the provinces of Scania, Halland, and Blekinge. Frederik III and his queen Sophie Amalie were two very different individuals who were very capable when it came to realizing their political goals. The rival couple Corfitz Ulfelt and Leonora Christina were among those who experienced setbacks because of this.
Frederik IV reigned from 1699 until 1730. None of the other absolute monarchs in Danish history ruled in as headstrong a fashion as he did. Frederik IV took it upon himself to make as many of the realm's decisions as possible himself, and this worked remarkably well. With the help of Tordenskjold, he brought Denmark-Norway safely through the bloody Great Northern War, which would be Denmark's final showdown with its archenemy Sweden. In his love life, too, he was extremely headstrong; he abducted his beloved Anna Sophie Reventlow, with whom he entered into a morganatic marriage and whom he later made his Queen.
This book tells the story of Christian IV, who became King of Denmark and Norway when he was only 11 years old. He ruled for all of 60 years, and he was responsible for the construction of a number of Denmark's most beloved buildings, particularly in Copenhagen. When he died, he left behind a kingdom that had been impoverished by war and excessive taxation and had permanently lost its earlier status as a major European power. Nevertheless, he was considered a brave hero and martyr by generations that followed him, and he has gone down in history as the greatest king Denmark has ever had.
Amalienborg and Frederiksstaden
by Jens Gunni Busck and Joan F. Davidson
Published 20 September 2018
This book tells the story of Amalienborg and Frederiksstaden and the royal residents of the palace over the centuries.
Amalienborg's palace square constitutes the central square of the monumental quarter of Frederiksstaden, which Frederik V had built starting in about 1750. The four palaces of the nobility that make up the palace complex were built simultaneously, but were taken over by the royal family after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794. Since 1920 Amalienborg has been the permanent residence of the Danish monarchy.
Amalienborg's palace square constitutes the central square of the monumental quarter of Frederiksstaden, which Frederik V had built starting in about 1750. The four palaces of the nobility that make up the palace complex were built simultaneously, but were taken over by the royal family after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794. Since 1920 Amalienborg has been the permanent residence of the Danish monarchy.
Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa
by Birgitte Louise Peiter Rosenhegn and Peter Sean Woltemade
Published 20 September 2018
Frederik VIII reigned for only six years, from 1906 until 1912. He and Lovisa spent four decades as Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and this presented them with some special challenges, not least as regards their relationship with the rest of the royal family, which was strained. In several ways Frederik and Lovisa were individuals whose behaviour was at odds with previously existing patterns, and neither the Danish royal family nor the public always viewed this in a positive light. In his efforts to meet the populace on its own terms, Frederik VIII became too folksy in the eyes of many contemporary Danes.
Power, Splendour, and Diamonds
by Peter Kristiansen and Peter Sean Woltemade
Published 20 September 2018
The foremost symbols of the Kingdom of Denmark-the crown, the sceptre, and the orb-have been kept at Rosenborg Castle since the 1680s. Here one can also see a number of the monarchy's other central objects: the baptismal font that has been used by the royal family since the 17th century, the silver lions as well as the collection of crown jewels founded by Queen Sophie Magdalene in the mid-18th century, which is still used by the Queen on major occasions.
Christian X and Queen Alexandrine
by Jens Gunni Busck and Christopher Sand-Iversen
Published 20 September 2018
Christian X and Queen Alexandrine were Denmark's royal couple from 1912 to 1947. They reigned during a period in which the world was dramatically changed; two world wars and serious economic crises left their mark on their reign and contributed to the royal couple's great significance as a centre around which the nation could gather.
During the same period, the role of the monarchy was fundamentally changed; the Danish monarchy found its place in a modern parliamentary democracy, and following the advent of modern mass media the royal couple became a public presence.
During the same period, the role of the monarchy was fundamentally changed; the Danish monarchy found its place in a modern parliamentary democracy, and following the advent of modern mass media the royal couple became a public presence.
Christian V reigned from 1670 until 1699. He was the first to accede to the throne as a hereditary king following the introduction of the hereditary and absolute monarchy by Frederik III. During the reign of Christian V, state power became centralized and the absolute monarchy was consolidated, and he made a competent but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to reconquer Scania, Halland, and Blekinge, territories that had been lost during his father's reign. Though there is an equestrian statue of him at the centre of Kongens Nytorv, the square the King had built, there are probably not many Danes who are familiar with the details of Christian V's life.
Christian VIII ruled Denmark from 1839 to 1848 as the country's last absolute monarch; in 1814 he was also briefly Norway's first constitutional king, and he took the initiative to introduce the constitutions of both Norway and Denmark. Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie lived during a time that was characterized by political unrest but also by cultural richness, and their circle of acquaintances included Hans Christian Andersen, N.F.S. Grundtvig, Bertel Thorvaldsen, C.W. Eckersberg, Adam Oehlenschlager, and H.C. Orsted.
This book is part of the Crown Series, a series of small books on the Danish monarchy and related subjects published in cooperation with the Royal Danish Collection.
This book is part of the Crown Series, a series of small books on the Danish monarchy and related subjects published in cooperation with the Royal Danish Collection.
Christian Ix and Queen Louise
by Jens Gunni Busck and Christopher Sand-Iversen
Published 20 September 2018
Christian IX and Queen Louise were the first couple of the Glucksburg line on the Danish throne. They had a difficult beginning, as they ascended the throne in 1863, immediately prior to the military defeat by Prussia and Austria in 1864. However, they eventually became popular with the Danish people, not least because they secured such advantageous marriages for their six children that already in their own day they were known as "Europe's parents-in-law". Today there are not many European royals who are not descendants of Christian IX and Queen Louise, who died in 1906 and 1898 respectively.
This book is part of the Crown Series, a series of small books on the Danish monarchy and related subjects published in cooperation with the Royal Danish Collection.
This book is part of the Crown Series, a series of small books on the Danish monarchy and related subjects published in cooperation with the Royal Danish Collection.
Frederik VII ruled Denmark from 1848 until 1863. In 1849 he introduced Denmark's first constitution. Despite his great weaknesses as a ruler, he is one of the most remarkable figures among the Danish monarchs. He was an odd individual with a rather unstable temperament, and in many ways he was a black sheep within the royal family. In particular, Frederik VII provoked people with his marriage to Countess Danner, but at the same time he added a completely new popular dimension to the monarchy. Frederik VII had a sense of the mood of the people that enabled him to become something as paradoxical as a royal icon of democracy in Denmark.